IN the end, every footballing relationship reaches a point of no return. Aitor Karanka came close to breaching that line on a number of occasions during his tenure as Middlesbrough boss, only for things to be patched up after some scrambling around behind the scenes. In the last few weeks, however, a union that was hanging by a thread snapped completely.

Boro’s on-pitch problems are a key factor in today’s parting of the ways on Teesside, but they only tell part of the story.

Steve Gibson always knew this would be a difficult season for Boro, and must always have feared there would be a time when his side was inhabiting a place in the bottom three.

Other clubs at the bottom of the table have received a boost from changing their manager, and with just 11 more games to play, if Gibson was going to act in an attempt to engender a similar turnaround at the Riverside, it really had to be now.

The Northern Echo:

Boro’s playing style has been an issue all season, and a change of manager, with a related change of approach, might spark an improvement. Despite his side only scoring three goals in their last ten games, Karanka was unwilling to adapt his conservative approach. A new boss, even if it just current caretaker Steve Agnew, might be keener to loosen the shackles.

Yet for all that Boro’s results have flat-lined since Christmas, Karanka might still be in a job had his on-pitch struggles not been accompanied by a series of off-field problems.

The Spaniard has always had something of a chequered record on that score, with last season’s training-ground departure ahead of a league game at Charlton Athletic having placed his future in huge doubt around a year ago.

The Northern Echo:

Karanka survived on that occasion, with Gibson stepping in to smooth things over, but the last few weeks have witnessed a similar unravelling.

There was the rant against the crowd after the home game against West Ham, followed by a rant against Gibson and the rest of the Boro hierarchy after the January transfer window did not bring a big-name addition.

There were fallings-out with a number of players, a trait that has been apparent throughout his reign. Stewart Downing was the most recent, with this week’s revelations regarding the former England winger painting a picture of a dressing-room that had lost all respect for the head coach.

Alvaro Negredo suffered Karanka’s wrath and was dropped to the bench, Patrick Bamford’s commitment was publicly questioned, Gaston Ramirez was backed even though he had been desperate to force through a move in January, something that did not go down well with other members of the squad.

The Northern Echo: KEY MAN: Middlesbrough's Gaston Ramirez (right) is tackled by Hull City's Andrew Robertson

And all the while, Karanka appeared more interested in polishing his own reputation than digging Boro out of the hole that were cascading into.

National newspapers were invited to Rockliffe Park for flowery feature piece extolling the quality of Karanka’s pre-match work – it felt like an extended job interview for another post in the future rather than an attempt to pull things together for the present.

In the end, it all proved too much for Gibson, a chairman whose loyalty is respected and admired throughout football. Even he has his limits though, and Karanka strayed beyond them on too many occasions.

He will be rightly respected for his work in securing promotion, but this was a moment that always felt like it would come.